I hate the unknown. My 2.5 yr old is finally starting to talk some. He's trying new words daily, understanding more, and just maturing. He is at the level of an 18-20 month old language wise. He's receptively and expressively delayed. He has over 50 words that he can say, but he doesn't say them very often. He has a few that he says a lot. He started speech therapy privately in mid-February and by has become a whole new kid basically!

I have him in speech therapy 3x a week, OT once a week, and he just started preschool 2 mornings a week. I feel like we're doing a LOT for him. He's always busy in something. I have seen great improvements since starting all of this. He is also getting EI services and the once a month EI SLP said yesterday something that really bothered me. She said, "Well, he's making progress, but I'm still very concerned about him. I think he should be doing more." Yet, he is not entitled to any additional EI services. What more can I do?

I have no reason to believe his speech/language skills won't get better. At 24 months, he was assessed at being 11-16 months for language skills, at 30 months, he's 18-20 months. That's a good sign that he is capable of progressing, imo.

I just have days where I'm so depressed that he's even in this situation . I know it could be so much worse though.

I agree, I hate when therapists of any kind say stuff like that. We have been mostly lucky with our few that we have seen over the years. Most have been of the idea that progress is progress. When progress stops then that's when it's time to reevaluate things. I wouldn't worry mama. Sounds like he's doing fine.

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I think what bothers me the most is that the person who said this sees him once a month for 30 minutes. She has seen him 6 times. His SLP who he sees 3x a week tells me he did something new/better every time he has a session. I guess I was just offended that someone who doesn't even know him well can make those kind of statements with no way of improving the situation.

My 2.5 yr old has NO words. None. She receives DT and OT once a week each for an hour each. We are adding speech too next month. Receptively she doesn't appear to be delayed much at all, but it's hard to tell because she is so delayed expressively. She's only just gotten the sign for more down, and is only just starting to use the sign for milk. She just started with EI in February too.

And our DT just said the exact opposite. She is super impressed with how much we have progressed so fast and thinks that once we get the SLP in here, she will just explode with language.

I also wanted to say, my 4 yr old had probably 50 words at 2.5, was never in speech therapy, and is all but caught up, all on her own. She's never even been in preschool or daycare.

You are doing great for him! As an education professional I see SO MANY children who could have benefitted immensely from what you are doing for your child, and don't even take advantage of the minimal EI services. Keep it up!

Sounds like your little one is making amazing progress! It's easy to get sucked in to the negatives.
I would ask the SLP, if she is so worried and thinks he needs more, how she and the school are going to help. If she thinks he needs more, maybe he would qualify for additional EI services.
Hang in there! I was feeling overwhelmed last summer and now she is talking all the time - just wish I could decipher it all

I have been following your posts somewhat as my son is the same age, and also has speech/language issues and some other issues. You are doing so much for him! He's making great progress and he's still very young. I can't imagine being in speech therapy much more than 3x/week - what does that lady want you to do??

My son is in EI speech therapy 6x/mo and OT 1x/week and drop-off playgroup 1x/week. He gets private therapy 2x/week, and I take him to a regular mom and kids playgroup 1x/week. We go to story time at the library, and I'm trying to find a gym class for the one morning a week that he is free, or Saturday morning. The EI folks kind of made me feel like crud that he's not in preschool or daycare, but I'm a SAHM, so it's not happening now. He'll be going to preschool in the fall. We're currently doing the evaluations to see if he'll get in to the public integrated preschool; otherwise he'll go to a regular private preschool. In short, we also do a lot for B and the baby gets dragged along. I always feel like I could/should do more, but I think we're doing the best we can right now, and B is progressing at his own pace. Some things we've worked on in therapy we've had to back off of since he just isn't ready.

I so know what you mean about the unknown. I spend a LOT of time worrying about him and wondering about his future. I get really depressed, too. He's still so young that I seriously don't know whether we will do some years of therapy, and before we know it he'll be graduating from law school and we'll be chuckling that we ever worried so much. Or I don't know whether I should expect that he'll never be able to hold a job or live outside our home or have a meaningful romantic relationship. Maybe the reality is somewhere in the middle, which is still a hard pill to swallow in a way - the idea that he will not be able to be/do whatever he wants.

I would say that it is whack that you are getting so little EI services, and there must be a way to push for more, but I have found with EI vs. private therapy (and it sounds like you have, too) that you get what you pay for.

I have been following your posts somewhat as my son is the same age, and also has speech/language issues and some other issues. You are doing so much for him! He's making great progress and he's still very young. I can't imagine being in speech therapy much more than 3x/week - what does that lady want you to do??

My son is in EI speech therapy 6x/mo and OT 1x/week and drop-off playgroup 1x/week. He gets private therapy 2x/week, and I take him to a regular mom and kids playgroup 1x/week. We go to story time at the library, and I'm trying to find a gym class for the one morning a week that he is free, or Saturday morning. The EI folks kind of made me feel like crud that he's not in preschool or daycare, but I'm a SAHM, so it's not happening now. He'll be going to preschool in the fall. We're currently doing the evaluations to see if he'll get in to the public integrated preschool; otherwise he'll go to a regular private preschool. In short, we also do a lot for B and the baby gets dragged along. I always feel like I could/should do more, but I think we're doing the best we can right now, and B is progressing at his own pace. Some things we've worked on in therapy we've had to back off of since he just isn't ready.

I so know what you mean about the unknown. I spend a LOT of time worrying about him and wondering about his future. I get really depressed, too. He's still so young that I seriously don't know whether we will do some years of therapy, and before we know it he'll be graduating from law school and we'll be chuckling that we ever worried so much. Or I don't know whether I should expect that he'll never be able to hold a job or live outside our home or have a meaningful romantic relationship. Maybe the reality is somewhere in the middle, which is still a hard pill to swallow in a way - the idea that he will not be able to be/do whatever he wants.

I would say that it is whack that you are getting so little EI services, and there must be a way to push for more, but I have found with EI vs. private therapy (and it sounds like you have, too) that you get what you pay for.

The bolded is what I worry about. I still cry so much about this because I just don't know what life is going to be like for him. So many people have told me that he will talk and that is what keeps me going. I feel like that if he talks then that's a huge step in the right direction. Just today he spent all of his speech lesson walking around labeling things in the room. He just started really imitating some speech and is still trying out new words almost every day. I have SO much hope for him, but man, I'm SO jealous of all the families who don't have worry this much. We're ttc #3 and I'm terrified about that as well. Is #3 going to have issues? Is having a third going to interfere with what I can do for Grant? I signed him up for preschool in part because I was so sick of the EI people telling me that daycare would be like a magic cure. I don't believe that, but he has made progress in the 3 weeks he's been going and he loves it! He walks in like he owns the place every day. LOL.